Joining iconic landmarks like the Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower, the Great Pyramids of Giza, the Sydney Opera House, BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandirs across North America commemorated Earth Hour by switching off lights within the complex at 8:30 pm on Saturday, March 23, 2013.
Earth Hour is organized by the World Wide Fund For Nature and was started in Sydney, Australia as a single city event in 2007. Over the years it has grown to become one of the world’s biggest voluntary actions for the environment.
BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha has pledged to join hundreds of millions of individuals, businesses and governments around the world to turn off their lights for Earth Hour. Demonstrating a year-round commitment to the principles of environmental sustainability symbolized by Earth Hour, BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha is continuously finding new ways to creatively harness cutting edge environmental designs and materials in its Mandirs and activities. Currently, many facilities utilize solar power, LED lighting, power saving fiber optics and management practices to ensure energy consumption is both optimal and efficient.
Earth Hour was also observed at Swaminarayan Akshardham in New Delhi and at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, London.